The thing with Gaius is you have to pretty much ignore the crusty-old-man-exterior and the eyebrows-with-a-will-of-their-own stuff to actually appreciate him.
He likes to lecture, yes, and he has the most extraordinary talent of knowing when I'm lying to him, which can be... a tad awkward. And he really is the most atrocious cook, though I'd never tell him, bless his doddering old heart.
But the thing with Gaius is that now and again – between all those lectures (some of them mind-numbingly tedious) – now and again, he gets it right.
Because of course I'm a genius. Wise man, that Gaius.